Mistletoe
by cherrymilk
Summary: Tifa throws an annual holiday party to bring her friends together. A holiday party means decorating, decorating means mistletoe, and mistletoe means lots of kisses. [Cloud/Tifa]


**Author's Note:** For tifastanclub 's Tifa Lockhart Headcanon Month: Holiday Edition! Again, I haven't written fanfic for Final Fantasy VII in a long time, so please forgive me if this is subpar!

 **Mistletoe**

Marlene sat at a table, watching Tifa pace around Seventh Heaven.

"How many extra blankets did we say we had again?"

Marlene's eyes scanned the open notebook on the table. "Seven."

Tifa stopped pacing and crossed her arms. "How many people stayed over last year?"

Marlene sighed. "We had enough blankets last year, so I think we'll have enough this year."

Tifa ran her hands through her dark hair. "You're right, you're right. I don't know why I get so antsy about the holiday party. We do it every year."

"You like things to be perfect," Marlene said understandingly. She flipped the notebook shut and looked at Tifa expectantly. "Can we decorate now?"

Tifa smiled. "Yeah, let's do that."

* * *

Every time the holidays rolled around, Tifa would take it upon herself to bring everybody together. This involved a lot of planning, so she always started early. As soon as the cold weather hit, she'd begin stocking bottles of Cid's favorite beer in the fridge. Yuffie's favorite snacks would find their way into the cupboards and, soon enough, the kitchen would overflow, making it difficult to find even the most basic items. Everybody invited was also allowed to stay over if they wanted (or needed) to. This, of course, meant that the party very often went on far into the night.

Despite the mess the holiday party always brought, Tifa loved throwing it. She also felt that it was good for Cloud to see everybody, even if it was once a year.

Tifa watched as Marlene ran a string of small lights under the countertop.

"Everything looks great!" Tifa said, her eyes scanning the room.

"We forgot something!" Marlene stood up, brushing her dress off.

Tifa looked around: string lights, little garlands, whatever sparkly items they could get their hands on…what could she have possibly missed?

"The mistletoe!" Marlene said impatiently.

"Oh, right!" Tifa grinned. "Why don't you go grab it? I'll find the ribbon."

Marlene scampered off. The 'mistletoe' was just a sprig of leafy greens they would hang in a doorway. Tifa had no idea where to get her hands on some real mistletoe, and Marlene didn't seem to mind playing pretend.

As Marlene rummaged through the kitchen, Tifa walked over to the bar. She pulled open a drawer, and took out a small length of ribbon.

"Did you find it?!" Marlene asked, her cheeks pink. She was holding the makeshift mistletoe in her hands.

Tifa pushed the drawer shut. "Yeah," she said, "but it's definitely seen better days."

"It really has," Marlene said sadly. "I think I have a better one in my room, but it's blue."

"That should work. Why don't you go get it?"

Blue ribbon in hand, Marlene got to work tying it into a neat bow at the top of her creation.

"It looks kinda weird, doesn't it?" Marlene asked, running her fingers over the ribbon. "Blue isn't really a holiday color."

"I'm sure nobody will notice," Tifa said kindly.

The improvised mistletoe was then hung in a doorway of Marlene's choosing, despite the fact that the shiny blue ribbon stood out awkwardly amongst the red and green of the other decorations.

* * *

"I would definitely call this party a success," Tifa commented, leaning against the countertop.

"Everybody is having a lot of fun!" Marlene agreed, grinning. "And nobody noticed the blue ribbon, though it still looks weird to me."

Tifa had spent the evening passing out drinks, plying people with food, and laughing at every story told. The cozy glow of Seventh Heaven created an atmosphere of pure happiness.

Tifa's eyes caught movement near the doorway. It was Denzel. Tifa smiled and walked over to the doorway.

"You're standing under the mistletoe!" she said, leaning down.

"So?" Denzel asked flatly.

"It means you're getting a kiss." Tifa kneeled down, enveloped Denzel in a warm hug and kissed his forehead.

"We givin' out kisses?" Barret boomed. Judging by the sound of his voice, he was a few drinks in.

"Apparently," Denzel grumbled, embarrassed.

"You next, Barret?" Tifa joked.

"Damn straight I am." Barret strode over, stood directly under the mistletoe, picked Tifa up, and planted a huge kiss on her cheek.

A burst of laughter came from the room. Tifa and Barret laughed too, cloaked in the intoxicatingly happy aura created by the party.

As the night wore on, it became a running gag for Tifa to kiss anybody who happened to stand under the mistletoe, whether by accident or on purpose. Red XIII got a gentle kiss on his nose, which he dismissed with an embarrassed murmur. When Vincent's turn came, Tifa stood on her tiptoes and kissed him happily on the cheek. His face turned a dusty pink almost immediately, and he hid behind his collar while Cid howled with laughter. Yuffie pulled Tifa under the mistletoe, where she gave her two warm kisses, one on each cheek.

"Probably the best kiss you'll get all night!" she chirped.

Tifa rolled her eyes.

Cid purposely placed himself under the mistletoe, and Tifa received a sloppy kiss on the edge of her jawline. He almost fell on top of Barret on his way back to the bar, the result of one too many drinks.

Soon enough, exhaustion caught up with the children. They were sent off to bed, but not before Marlene got a kiss on her forehead under the mistletoe.

"You were right about the ribbon," Marlene whispered as Tifa tucked her in. "Nobody noticed!"

Things didn't slow down as the night wore on – it seemed that everybody had an endless supply of hilarious stories to tell. As more and more empty bottles accumulated on the bar, the stories became harder to understand, but that only made them more entertaining.

"No mistletoe for you, spiky?" Barret asked.

Cloud's face turned red. "Me?"

"Now's yer chance!" Cid hiccupped. "Or did you get it all out of your system that night under the Highwind?"

It was Tifa's turn to blush. She grinned awkwardly at Cloud, who shuffled under the mistletoe in a clear attempt to get Cid and Barret off his case.

"Sorry about that," Tifa said softly, once they stood in the doorway.

"It's not your fault," Cloud replied. "They're just a little drunk."

Tifa turned her gaze to Cid and Barret, who were dying with laughter over something Vincent had said.

"A little?" Tifa echoed, giggling. "They look more – oh!"

Tifa was interrupted by a small kiss being pressed to her cheek.

"Oh, for $%#%'s sake!" Cid slurred.

* * *

As the party came to an end, Tifa found herself laying out mats and blankets for her friends. She piled them all into Cloud's office, shutting the door quietly behind them.

Tifa walked back to the bar, which was littered with bottles, plates, and cutlery. She sighed, grabbed a damp dishcloth from the kitchen, and began wiping down the countertop. Quiet footsteps caught her attention, so she stopped her cleaning and listened, just in case it was one of the children.

Instead, Cloud walked into the room.

"I thought you were asleep," Tifa said, resuming her work.

"Thought I'd come help you clean up," Cloud replied. His blue eyes surveyed the room. "It's a lot for you do to on your own."

"I'll be fine," Tifa said reassuringly. "Your office is pretty full, though, so make sure to watch your step. We'll never hear the end of it if you accidentally stomp on Yuffie."

A shadow of a smile crossed Cloud's face, before quickly disappearing. He approached the countertop, and placed a hand on Tifa's arm. She stopped her wiping and turned to look at him.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, I…" Cloud trailed off. "Come on."

"Where?"

Tifa allowed herself to be led to the doorway, where the makeshift mistletoe, now wilted, still hung.

"Cloud, what are you…" Tifa's brain suddenly short circuited as Cloud cupped her face in his hands, leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers.

Tifa's wine colored eyes were wide as they pulled apart. Cloud's cheeks were slightly pink.

"Sorry about before," he murmured. "I was a little embarrassed to just…kiss you in front of everybody."

"Cloud, I wasn't expecting anything, really, I…" Tifa didn't know what to say. Her heart was thumping in her chest so loudly that it seemed to be drowning out her thoughts.

Suddenly, Cloud looked up at the mistletoe. "Blue isn't supposed to be a festive color, is it?"

Tifa laughed, all awkwardness suddenly gone.

Cloud looked at her with a perplexed expression on his face, one which was slowly replaced by a smile.

"How many people are sleeping in my office again?" Cloud asked.

"Everybody, basically," Tifa replied, wondering if her heartrate would ever go back to normal. "That's why I told you to be careful."

"And how many people are sleeping in yours?"

Tifa raised her eyebrows. "Just me. May I ask about your intentions, Mr. Strife?"

"My intentions are completely innocent." Cloud shrugged. "Just trying to avoid sleeping in a room with both Cid and Barret snoring in it."

Tifa laughed. "Alright, alright. On one condition, though – you have to help me with this mess."

"I was going to do that anyway."

Cloud began carefully picking bottles up, and trying his best not to make any noise. "It was good this year," he said pleasantly.

"I thought it was going alright," Tifa said, offering him a trash bag. "But then I got a really good kiss under the mistletoe, so I'd say this party was one of my better ones."

Cloud blushed. "Yeah, I think so too."


End file.
